Kiss from the Winter Spirit
by sillywords4
Summary: Lia was never one to believe. The catastrophic death of her parents on Christmas Day as a child was enough to convince her fairytales were never real. But Jack Frost immediately feels a connection between them he fears she never will. What if, even for just a moment, after countless of years of misery, she let's herself imagine the possibilities of the outside world?
1. Prologue

Prologue

_"How much time is there left?" I groaned, impatient for this trip to end. It felt like hours since we had gotten in the car. I wanted to get to the house extremely badly. My stomach was so dreadfully empty, I felt sick. _

_My mother, in the front seat, looked back at me with her warm, gentle, hazel-green eyes. Her curly brown hair, falling gracefully down to her shoulders and her rounded face was kind enough of her to give me a few more minutes to bare. _

"_Hold on tight, princess. We have about another half hour left. It'll be worth it when we get there. I promise," she replied, turning back to look ahead on the road. Today was Christmas, and my presents would be there, right under the decorated holiday tree, when I got home. My heart immediately lifted up. I loved it when she called me 'princess.' She always managed to make me feel special enough to comply to whatever she told me to do, even if it meant boring my eyes out while doing so. _

_I lifted my eyes up to the front mirror, meeting my father's gaze. He gave me a sly smile, full of the compassion I knew he held in his heart. I rarely ever got to see him since his promotion as an engineer in a car making company. I now had to learn to cherish every second I had with him. _

_I turned my head to look out the window, which had fogged up with the mix of temperature from in and out of the car. I drew in a present box, thinking about the hard work Santa must have put in to deliver the gifts to children of all ages across the world. Only thinking about it wore me out. I was somewhat thankful I didn't have the job, although I had to admit, riding in a sleigh, powered by reindeer, seemed like a sheer pleasure. _

_Through the lines created from the picture, I gazed outside to the moving trees and gently falling snow. It was truly a beautiful sight. It seemed so peaceful out there, in the middle of a dense forest, full of trees and life. There were countless of animals and creatures out there carrying out their everyday lives in the way they saw fit. If only I could one day become part of their world and see the beauty they created._

_Suddenly, there was a popping sound, making the front of the car jump upwards. I lifted my head back up front and saw the car swerve sideways, off the road. I saw my father try to regain control, swerving the wheel left and right, but the car only lifted onto its side, rolling and tumbling towards the dense trees. I let out a scream, trying to find anything to hold onto. I saw my mother click off her seatbelt, managing to dive towards me, protecting me from the last, final impact. _

"_I love you," she whispered into my ear. I felt her body go limp as the car slammed into the forest. I looked back and-_

I jumped up from the bed, gasping for air. Sweat ran down my face as my hand grabbed a handful of sheets. My heart pounded against my chest. I blinked, trying to see through the tears forming in my eyes.

Every night. Every night for the past eleven years, I dreamt the same thing, over and over again like a broken record. It was an endless, cruel cycle there was no escape from. I wrapped my arms around my legs, closing myself into a small, tight ball, attempting to shield myself from reality.

Why had it come to this? Why had it come to this life, taunting and teasing me in ways I couldn't possibly understand? Why was I so alone?

Would it ever change?


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
(Lia)

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! _The screeching sound of the alarm clock startled me awake. I shot open my eyes. I immediately dove for the alarm clock on the nightstand, causing me to tumble to the floor, headfirst, sheets and pillows following me to the ground.

I groaned, pressing my fingers to my forehead, feeling the effects of the fall take over. It took me a while to process what was happening. I groggily looked up at the time.

It was 6:50.

My jaw dropped to the floor. It… It couldn't be. I didn't… I couldn't possibly of have…

"No, no, no, no, no, no," I chanted, jumping up to my feet and running back and forth across the room. I grabbed the first hoodie and sweats I saw, sprinting down the stairs as I put them on, grabbing my backpack somewhere along the way. I was already out the door and on my bike in a matter of seconds.

The wind zipped around me as I pedaled fast, feeling my thighs almost erupt into flames in pain. I pushed onwards. Ten minutes. _Ten minutes. _I was dead. How could I have slipped through that alarm clock so many times? If I even got there a split second late, _again, _I would get a detention. I couldn't afford that, _especially_ since I was taking care of Jamie and Sophie. They needed me, as much as I needed them.

I then realized that snow began to gently fall its way to the ground, making a thin white layer through the streets of Burgess doing so. I felt my face tighten up. This was the worst time of year. It didn't matter how good each year had been. I had grown accustomed to despise all of winter itself.

"I hate snow," I murmured, creating a foggy cloud in the air.

It seemed like an eternity before I finally saw the school in the distance. After jamming my bike into the bike ramp, I checked my watch. Two minutes. It was just enough time.

As I walked through the school, I noticed a few people giving me curious side-glances. Well, more accurately, giving me _glares_. I didn't blame them, either. I must have looked like a mess. I didn't even have a chance to comb through my hair, let alone make it look partly decent for the day.

Like a miracle, I managed to walk through the door as the final bell rang across the school. I gave out a sigh of relief, walking to my desk, which was thankfully in the back of the room. I felt the teacher's harsh glare on me. It might as well have created a hole through the back of my sweatshirt with how angry he was.

I set my backpack down on the ground, took out a small mirror on the side pocket, and lifted it up to see my face. I honestly almost gasped in embarrassment. My long, disheveled, blonde hair, which would usually naturally contain beach waves down to my waist, was still pulled back into the messy bun I had made the previous night when I had been studying for an upcoming exam. My eyes were quite large, with long, dark lashes that curved backwards to reveal hazel-colored irises with golden streaks masked around them. My rounded face and sleek, smooth skin made me mistaken as a younger female, even though I was already seventeen. I had a petite, muscular figure, due to me lifting weights whenever I needed to vent out any anger, which was mostly every day.

As the teacher began to take attendance, calling out the names of the students among the class, I let my hair fall gracefully down over my shoulders. I combed it with my fingertips, forming it into the hair it usually was.

"Lia Vendella," the teacher spoke out. I was surprised he would call out my name, knowing I was already present.

"The pleasure is _all_ mine," I replied, giving a short, sarcastic bow doing so, trying to hide the amused smile plastered across my lips. A few chuckles were heard across the classroom. I knew the teacher was fuming, but it was always fun to see him look like that. His face, now turned red, made him look like the devil himself.

Slowly, I leaned my elbow on the desk and placed my chin on the palm of my hand, looking out the window. I was already daydreaming, letting my mind go elsewhere.

* * *

I knocked on the door, miserably trying to blow some of my damp hair from my face. The snow had begun to fall down like rain: long and hard. The streets and houses were covered up in only a matter of minutes. It was hard to believe that Christmas was just around the corner, the day I absolutely dreaded the most. Usually, all I ever did was grieve the entire day, eating all the sweets and chocolates that were in the house, barely even moving out of my bed. It was a way to take my mind off of everything… off my parents.

Footsteps were heard on the other side, bringing me back to the present. I prepared a bright smile as Jamie opened the door. He was the cutest little boy I had ever seen. He had shaggy, brown hair that usually drooped over his big, chestnut eyes. He was nine years old, and a courageous, smart one at that. He was still a young person, so his face contained the usual features of any child. He had just lost his other front tooth, different from the previous spring, when he had begun to abnormally chant about Jack Frost, the well-known Winter Spirit, and the Guardians. I never completely understood his so-called amazing story, since he tried telling it so fast all at once I always lost him at some point. However, I was always happy to see his imagination was creative enough to bend himself into different tales. There were times, however, when I felt he was beginning to become too old for that nonsense he thoroughly believed in, no matter how many times I tried to convince him none of it was real.

"Lia!" Jamie gleefully said as he ran into me, throwing his arms around my waist. I gave a small giggle, hugging him back. "Nice to see you, Jamie! How was your weekend?" I asked, bending down to look him in the eye.

"It was amazing!" he replied. "We got to go to some big, snowy mountains somewhere! We went really high up and I sled down so fast my hat went off and I crashed right into a pile of snow! It took a while for my family to dig me back out." He laughed to himself. "I bet you Jack Frost was looking over me then. I was surprised I survived that!"

At the mention of the supernatural being that supposedly controlled winter, I let my face fall a bit. I was about to tell him, once again, that he should let go of that belief of his when I saw a small, blonde head peek out the door.

"Sophie!" I smiled, widening my arms as she came and gave me a small hug. "Look how much you've grown over the past two days! You'll be just as big as me in no time," I said. She gave a small squeal, puffing out her chest, trying to force herself to look bigger. She had greatly improved in her speaking abilities since last winter. It was sometimes difficult for her to put entire sentences together, still being so young, but I was glad to be able to help school her a bit now and then.

"Now then!" I proclaimed, clapping my hands together. "What's in store for us today?"

"Can we make our letters to Santa?" Jamie pleaded, looking at me with puppy eyes, something he knew perfectly well had an effect on me.

I made myself look thoughtful for a second, tapping my chin. "Well…" I began.

"Please?! Please?! Please?!" Sophie and Jamie began to chant together, jumping and darting in circles around me.

I gave out an exaggerated sigh, standing back up. "Okay," I said, giving in. In the back of my mind, I wanted to do anything else than help them celebrate the worst day of my life. I was met with cheers as they sprinted inside to get their cards ready.

_Here it goes,_ I thought to myself, looking behind me, giving the snow a fierce glare as I closed the door.

While Jamie looked for the materials needed to make the card, I began to prepare everything for dinner. I figured the easiest thing to make for the day was a simple salad bowl, spaghetti and meatballs, along with a juice. The parents wouldn't get home until after they were put to bed, so I had to make sure they had a proper meal for the night. Usually, I tried to put in the healthiest foods I could find. They were children, after all.

"There!" Jamie said, placing everything he had found on the table. I turned around and was shocked to find all the materials that had been placed. There was a massive box full of colored pencils, markers, erasers, glitter pens, and glue. He had grabbed a large pile of white paper to write down his list on.

"You're ready to get this thing going, aren't you?" I smiled, wiping my hands on a napkin, sitting down with him as I waited for the water to boil.

"I hope he gives me everything I want this year," Jamie said. "After all, I did save the Guardians last spring."

I gave him a forced smile. I was beginning to become a bit worried. He was too old to still believe. He was nine. How could he have not figured out that his parents were the ones leaving the presents below the tree and not Santa? Or that pleasant dreams were a natural phenomenon that came from human nature? Or that his mother was the one that had always put the quarter beneath his pillow at night, when he was sound asleep?

"Will you write one with me?" he asked, reaching out to give me a pen he was holding. I stared down at his hand, wide-eyed. I hadn't written a letter to Santa in over a decade. There was never a need to. I didn't believe in him, like I once had. But looking at Jamie with that charismatic look on his face was just enough to push me over the edge and slowly lift my hand up to grasp it.

Just then, Sophie bounded up onto the table with a stuffed bunny. She called it Bunnymund, and she carried it with her almost anywhere she went. To her, it seemed like a reminder of Easter. I never got to truly understanding that.

"Alright, children!" I remarked, licking my thumb to get a sheet of paper off the pile. "Time to write a letter!"

They both got busy with folding the sheet and decorating the outside flap. I, however, just stared down at the paper, almost expecting it to write something on its own. What _was _it that I wanted?

I wanted so many things.

I wanted a family. A _real _family, like Sophie and Jamie did. After my parents died, I was forced to live with my grandfather, who struggled trying to get used to the idea of not having them both around anymore. I barely ever got to see him, since he was always at the bar, drinking his worries away, along with his memories. I wanted friends that actually _cared _about me, rather than the ones that were only there for their own convenience. I wanted to believe in something, _anything, _just as much as Jamie and Sophie did. I wanted to be a role model to them. I wanted to show them that I could be strong for them, no matter what happened. I wanted a home where it didn't always feel so empty, cold, and dark. I wanted someone to fix a meal for me in the morning and hug me before I headed off for school. I wanted someone to tell me they would be there for me, forever. I wanted my parents to still be alive. I wanted the accident to have never of happened. I wanted… so much… yet so little at the same time.

"Lia, are you okay?" Sophie asked, placing her hand over mine.

I looked up, coming out of a deep-thought state as she gave me a reassuring smile. "Yeah…" I breathed out. "Just… can't figure out what I want."

"What about another bunny like mine?" she proclaimed, holding out the stuffed bunny so it was only inches from my face.

"Um… I think I'm okay. That bunny is yours and only," I explained, taking the bunny and placing it back on her lap.

"So, what is it you're going to ask Santa for Christmas?" Jamie asked, lifting his eyes to meet mine. Why couldn't I get to him? Why did he still believe? What was it that made him hold on to that belief for so long? Sure, I would understand perhaps Santa Claus, since he was the best known of all the supernatural stories, but the Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy? The Boogeyman? The Sandman? Jack Frost? Some of them were barely heard of in our world. It just didn't make sense.

"I don't know," I replied, looking back at the empty sheet, full of all the desires I wanted. "Maybe I'll just ask him to help with my grandfather. He's struggling a bit, back home."

"Is he alright?" he worriedly asked, almost standing up from his chair, ready to get into action like a superhero.

"Yeah!" I smiled. "Just having a bit of a tough time, I guess. He hasn't been himself for a while… a _long _while," I added.

Just then, the ringer for the water made a piercing sound through the room. "Time to get cooking!" I said, walking back up to the stove, putting on an apron that had been folded on the countertop. I felt relieved I wouldn't have to write down something to someone I didn't believe in.

"You didn't write anything down for Santa…" Jamie realized, taking my sheet and putting it back on the pile.

_I never will, _I thought to myself, forcing myself not to explain to him why. It would be too complicated for him to ever understand.

_I never could._

* * *

Tucking in the children was probably my favorite part of the entire day. It was what I looked forward to doing the most. It was lovely to be able to see them as they rested, unmoving, sound asleep as their dreams took over them. It let me imagine myself as a child again, innocent, before the death of my parents.

"Will you read me a bedtime story?" Jamie asked, like any other night as he hopped in right between the blue sheets I had turned down for him. Sophie was already gone the moment her head hit the pillow, saving me from the opportunity of reading her another story as well.

"Which will you like me to read?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.

"The one I wrote about Jack Frost!" he exclaimed with a gleam in his eye.

Jamie, after that one night during spring, managed to find the materials to make a scrapbook that outlined the story of Jack Frost and how he became what he called a 'Guardian.' Whenever I read the story to him, I had to improvise different words so the story could get more descriptive, the way I knew he liked it to be. I took it out from one of the bookshelves in his room and sat down beside him, getting comfortable as I cleared my throat, ready to tell the story I had read to him every night for the past eight months.

"Once, long ago, in a quiet village on the outskirts of a town called Burgess, lived a young, handsome boy. His name was Jackson Overland Frost. He was the whimsical one of the town, known to play tricks among the children he had grown up and played with, including his sister, whom he loved very dearly. However, one afternoon, after skating over a pond covered in ice, his sister managed to land on a crack that was ready to break. Jack, using his mischievous mind, told her to play hopscotch, like they had just that morning. On her first jump, Jack grabbed the nearest stick he could find, pulling her into safety. He gave her a final smile as he fell into the icy pond, waiting below. Little did he know his adventure had just begun. That night, he was saved by the Man on the Moon, who granted him with the ability to control winter. He had no recollection of his previous memories and wasn't believed in for 300 years, making him invisible to anyone he ever saw. However, that didn't stop him from spreading excitement and fun across the world, or even messing with the other Guardians themselves, supernatural beings who protected all children. One day, the Guardians in the North Pole received a message from the Man on the Moon that assigned Jack Frost as the newest protector of all youth, unaware of the dangers that lied ahead. Pitch Black had been planning his revenge since the Middle Age, when he had had the most power and-"

I heard a large snore from Jamie, causing me to snap up my head. Every night he would fall asleep, usually after the story had finished. He must have truly of been tired to dream away that quickly. I sighed, placing the book upon my lap, caressing his cheek, and watched him peacefully. He was a pure-hearted boy, head to toe, with a strong moral belief. Even if I didn't agree with him on every occasion, I would risk my life before his, any given day.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the window, causing snow to fall all across the room. Lifting up my hood to cover my head, I stood up and fought against the wind to close it back up again. I checked the locks on the window to make sure they were put in place so it wouldn't happen again in the middle of the night. I gave a sigh of relief, turning back to Jamie, happy to find he was still resting.

I gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "I admire you, Jamie," I softly whispered to him. I straightened up, putting his book back in place. I gave him one final look before running out the house, thankful to find the snow had ceased its fall.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
(Jack)

No rules. No obligations. That's the way I liked it.

It's as good as it sounds.

It had been eight months since Pitch tried to get the world to stop believing in the Guardians. Now, it was the best time of year.

Christmas! Well… more accurately… winter.

Across the world, countless of people were seeing me do my job. The more time that passed by, the more children began to believe in me… and the more my powers began to grow. I could now manipulate the weather from faraway right in my own hands. I could fly farther and faster without getting depleted of my energy. I could create massive, beautiful sculptures of ice wherever I went. My frost would stand much longer in its place. I could freeze up a larger terrain of land in only a matter of seconds.

Life was looking good. And I was planning on keeping it that way.

Sometimes, however, you just want to go home, even if it meant leaving the world without one solitary snow day.

It had been a while since I had traveled back to my homeland. I had grown incredibly busy trying to help children from across the world believe again after Pitch attempted to castaway their beliefs. But now, things hadn't been more exciting since I could physically play with them.

As I arrived in Burgess, I immediately noticed snow hadn't covered the land in days. I chuckled to myself. _I've been away that long? _

I breathed in heavily and slid my hands against each other, ready to get into action. "Take me up, wind!" I ordered, and off I went. I pointed my staff at different spots in the sky, forcing snow to fall early in the morning. The sun had only begun to rise and I needed the ground cold enough so the snowflakes wouldn't melt.

I began to surf across the streets as ice covered up the warmest areas.

I whistled in pleasure. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so excited to see children: two of them, to be exact.

Jamie and Sophie.

They brought back the greatest memories. They were the only ones that believed in any of the Guardians when the rest of the world gave up hope. I was planning on giving them a Christmas they would never forget.

I flew window to window, watching as the early-bird children began to wake up to play out in the snow, even on a school day. They stared at me in astonishment and surprise as I flew by. I hushed them down before they told their parents, who wouldn't even realize I was there.

Finally, I stood, barefoot on the street, admiring at what I had created. The bright, grey clouds filled the sky, letting snowflakes gently fall to the ground, touched by the moving wind. I closed my eyes, opening my arms out wide, letting the coldness wrap around me. I laughed to myself, thinking how witty it would be of me to call Bunnymund in as a fake emergency, forcing him to stand on snow. He dreaded winter the most.

Yep, war continued to rage on between us both.

Suddenly, a figure drifted right through me, catching me by surprise. I whipped around to see someone on a bike, rushing down the street like a speeding car. I shivered. Even if I had experienced people walking through me like a ghost for 300 years, I never got used to the feeling of emptiness that came along with it.

I shook my head, clearing my mind as I howled at the sky, creating echoes through the streets. I bent my legs and jumped into the air, letting the wind take me wherever it pleased.

* * *

Night had fallen. I spent the entire day giving the surrounding areas a taste of winter magic. My body felt ready to collapse right to the floor, but I knew the time I was looking forward to the most had just arrived.

I began to slowly shift back my memories to the last time I had spoken to Jamie. I promised him I would come back and be there for him, no matter what happened, forever.

"_Y__ou're leaving? But what if Pitch comes back? What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you..." Jamie began to ramble on as he jumped up and down with fear in his eyes._

"_Hey, slow down, slow down," I told him, still emotional about the fact that Jamie, along with the other children of the town, had only started to see me. "Are you telling me that you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"_

"_No," Jamie replied, shaking his head._

"_Okay, well, do you stop believing in the sun when the clouds block it out?" I asked, resting my hands on his shoulders._

"_No," he replied once again, smiling, as he understood what I was telling him._

"_We'll always be there, Jamie. And now, we'll always be here," I explained to him, pointing my finger over his heart. "That kind of makes you a Guardian too," I added, reassuring him as he gave me one final hug. _

Jamie sure had made a mark on my heart. He would always be special to me, not just because he was the first person to believe in me, but he reminded me of a young girl I had saved long ago… my sister. I had often questioned afterward that eventful day in spring if Jamie had some relative connection with my family. After all, I had never seen what my sister's life had been like after I had saved her from the pond. Did she ever grow up? Did she get married? Did she start a family? Those were questions I would never find answers to.

Once I spotted the house, I slowly drifted myself down to the window. He was there, in his bed, wide-eyed and awake, just as I expected him to be. I gave a smart smirk. I was about to blow it open when I spotted another figure in the bed.

It was a girl, roughly around my human age. She had a small, well-defined figure. Her long, rolling blonde hair came neatly down to her waistline. She was slightly pale, wearing a maroon-colored hoodie and slim black sweats that ran down to her ankles.

Something… something about her seemed so… familiar. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I leaned a little closer to hear voices from inside.

"Will you read me a bedtime story?" I heard Jamie ask. I smiled. Typical old Jamie, the one I knew and remembered.

I heard a few murmurs as the girl reached into the bookshelf to pull out a scrapbook. I had never seen it before, but I recognized the story as soon as the she began to speak.

"Once, long ago, in a quiet village on the outskirts of a town called Burgess, lived a young, handsome boy. His name was Jackson Overland Frost. He was the whimsical one of the town…" I tried containing my laughter. I had inspired the young fellow to write a book about me, huh? I tried brushing it off as if it were no big deal, but I felt my heart swell up more than I expected it to.

However, as I continued looking at the girl, I tried thinking about all the people I had seen in my lifetime… which, in reality, were many. She reminded me of someone from not too long ago compared to the 300 years I had been alive. It just didn't make sense. How did I know her? _She must be someone I messed with before I became a Guardian. _But I knew that wasn't true. It was only an excuse to think of a real reason. She looked different from the past version I had seen of herself. Where had I...?

I felt the tip of my staff tap the window as I leaned in too far, causing wind to burst through the bedroom. I flipped backwards in the air, taken by surprise. My heart beat fast against my chest. The girl immediately stood up, covering up her head, trying to walk through the chilly air. _Stupid power boost, _I grimaced to myself. As she closed the window, I flew back, placing my hands against the glass, trying to get the closest view to her as possible.

I caught her gaze for only a moment. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever known. They were absolutely spectacular, with a mix of color in them I had seen in no other person.

Suddenly, my mind flashed back in time. Roaring fire. Flames. Snow. Streetlights. Trees. Screams. Cries. _Eyes. _The eyes I had just seen. _Where_ had I _seen_ them?

She turned around before I could continue thinking of anything else. She leaned down and whispered something to Jamie before she ran out the room, walking out to face the cold, frigid night alone.

* * *

I followed her home that night, attempting to learn at least something more about her. She was too captivating to let go. There was no need to be quiet, since she obviously didn't see me. Along the way, I tried recollecting the flashback I had seen earlier. It felt like a faraway dream I couldn't quite remember. It was as if a big, black hole had been painted down on my memory. Why did I forget about it? About her? I barely forgot anything, even if I had lived for over 300 years.

I followed her for over an hour as she walked along with her bike through the snow. I soon regretted giving Burgess such a snowstorm. At one point, I began to tread besides her, looking up at her as she thought deeply about things inside her head.

As we walked side by side, a feeling of peace began to drift over me. Somehow, being with this nameless girl seemed… perfect, calming, and soothing, all at once. I couldn't really describe it. I didn't feel different, nor did I feel immortal, with no connections to older, ordinary people of the outside world. She may have not known that I was right along with her, but she made it enjoyable to walk slowly in a gradual, thoughtful pace, rather than up, fast, and high above the clouds.

Finally, she stopped in front of a small, two-floor house. I was surprised to see it seemed like a long abandoned cabin. It was located deep in a neighboring dense forest off town. I recognized the area immediately. As I looked about, I soon recognized the frozen pond that cost me my life.

The girl walked inside the house, straight to the restroom located in her room to change. As I followed her in, I was shocked at the simplicity and loss of color and life in it. The room had almost no furniture in it whatsoever. The walls hadn't been painted, the bed was covered in thin, white sheets, and the bookshelves, along with her desk, were covered in layers of dust.

There was one picture, placed on the nightstand, that caught my eye. It was placed in an elaborate golden frame, outlined in decorative engraved hearts. In it were two people. One was a handsome middle-aged man with streaks of grey hair cut short into a military hairstyle. He had sad, blue eyes and thin, crisp lips. He showed a gentle expression on his face as he held the camera for the woman beside him. Her curly, brown hair drooped slightly over her shoulders. Her large, hazel eyes gave a warm aura to her bright, wide smile. They both shared the characteristics of the nameless girl.

I wondered why I had yet to see them both, understanding immediately that they were her parents. It wasn't too hard to tell.

The girl walked out of the restroom in a blue tank top and cloud-decorated shorts. Her hair was now pulled back in a braid, running down gracefully over her back. I was soon mesmerized by her alluring beauty. Had I ever seen anybody so stunning in my life?

I was about to tell her something, but she walked through me like a ghost.

But no.

_I_ was the ghost. She wouldn't have even heard me in the first place... and there was nothing I could do to change that.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, studying the picture I had given my attention to.

"I love you," she whispered, grabbing the frame and bringing it to her lips for a kiss. She gave a small, sad smile before covering herself beneath the sheets and turning off the light from the nightstand.

Through the darkness, I could see the moonlight reflecting her small figure. I sat down beside her on the bed and looked at her as she slowly, over time, closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

Even though I didn't know her name, even though I didn't know anything about her, and even though I knew what I had begun to feel for her was wrong…

I felt at home.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
(Lia)

"Lia… my friends and I are going to go an a shopping spree for winter break. Want to come?" I tilted my head up from the desk to look at Sarah Beaumont, the high-class popular girl of the room. She was also known to be the prettiest one, not to mention she had dated practically every guy in the school. Her wavy, autumn colored hair, pure green eyes, and model-sized body was just enough to lure anybody in.

Anybody but me.

I had met plenty of people like her in my lifetime to know that they weren't worth spending time with. If they ever talked to anybody, it was for their looks or because they had something they needed. I already knew what Sarah wanted in the first place.

"You don't have to spoil me to get what you want, Sarah," I mumbled, putting my chin down on the desk. "From all the guys you've dated, I'm surprised you haven't found your match yet."

At that, she scolded. "Hey, you can't blame me for trying to find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. It's better than what you do. Every guy in the school has asked you out at one point and you always turn them down. I, on the other hand, open up my arms up high and wide."

I chuckled to myself. "Sarah, you're seventeen. You still have half the year to graduate. Why not just wait to find your match in college, when there will be loads of other guys to choose from? Why do you even need my help? From what you're telling me, it seems like you know more about love than I do," I challenged, staring her down.

She looked down at the ground, biting her nail, trying to come up with a response. She fidgeted a bit. I had never seen her hesitate to fight back. She was, in fact, the drama queen of the school.

I sighed, regretting what I said. "Sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh. Look, I'm no expert. I don't get why everybody comes to me with this sort of stuff if they know I've never even laid hands on a guy before. I've always thought you'd be a good match with Jacob Iris," I told her as I turned my head again to watch the snow.

"Thank you, Lia! I appreciate it! Do you want me to give you anything in ex-"

"No, it's okay," I interrupted. "Call it a gift from me to you."

She nodded her head and turned back around. I rolled my eyes, knocking my head against the desk. Why did _everybody _come to me for love advice?

It had started when I was a freshman. Molly Richert had been my best friend at the time, being the only one there for me after the death of my parents. She had been head over heals for the most popular boy in school, Matthew Taylor, but never had the courage to tell him about it. Without her knowledge, I talked to him, convincing him Molly was someone he would be very happy with. Soon after, they immediately began to date. Eventually, word got out that I had been a lucky charm to their new-found love. Ever since, people had always come to me in hopes of finding the same happiness Molly had. I didn't mind it as much as I led people to think; I just found it ironic that _I _had never found that love myself.

I hit my head against the desk again. I reminded myself that it _was _my fault. I blocked people out. It was the easiest way of protecting myself. I had done so ever since that Christmas Day. I didn't want to grow attached to someone and get hurt in the long run. It was just easier to carry on my life and watch other people from the distance rather than joining in with the crowd.

But was that enough?

* * *

"Jamie gave Jack a final hug before the Guardians gathered up on the sleigh. With one final smile, they all rode off into the night, and the children of the world lived happily ever after," I finished, slowly closing the cover as I looked back up at Jamie.

"Again!" he protested, jumping up on his knees, clapping his hands together as if begging for dear life.

"Jamie," I said, looking at him with a demanding look. "You know you have to go to bed before your parents get home. Those are the rules," I explained to him, covering him with the bed sheets. I cupped his cheek, giving him a warm smile. "Besides, I know you would never want to disappoint your parents." He turned his head, considering the thought.

As I got up to turn off the light, Jamie's voice startled me. "Why do you think Jack hasn't visited me?"

I turned my head around to look at him, not knowing exactly how to respond. I tried searching for any words to say. He had always talked about Jack and how he had come to save everybody during Easter, but he had never actually come to me to ask about the experience himself. He obviously seemed hurt by the fact that he hadn't visited him.

"Jamie… look, I-"

"He promised me, Lia! He promised me he would come back! He promised that he would always be there for me when I needed him! And I know I'm not in any danger or something, but… but I miss him… And he-"

"He's not real, Jamie. Why won't you understand that?" I blurted out, making my way back to the side of the bed.

"He _is_ real! I saw him! I saw him save us from Pitch! He made it snow in my bedroom! He controls winter. He makes the ice on the streets, he creates the frost on the windows, he handles the wind, he-"

"But he's _not real_," I authorized over him. "Why can't you understand that? Why is it _so hard_ to get into your head that he's simply not real? That none of them are? Your parents are the ones that put the presents beneath the Christmas tree. Easter is just a holiday where your relatives get together and hide eggs full of candy they know you will enjoy. The tooth fairy was simply your mother putting a coin under your pillow, and-"

"You always say that! You never want to open up your mind! People always talk about how the older you get, the less faith you have. I don't want to become like that! I don't want to become like you!" Jamie angrily yelled, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry, Jamie, but I just had to face reality! At one point, you have to let go. It doesn't always come bounding up perfectly like everybody expects it to. It's not all roses and daffodils, okay? You don't get things handed to you. You have to go out there and face the cold, bitter, arrogant, stupid, _mischievous_ world on your own, and-"

I was interrupted by Jamie bursting into tears. He fell to his knees as he tried wiping his eyes. His sobs filled the room, completely shattering me to pieces. The truth had hurt him. No… _I _had hurt him. I had caused this. And now, I had to try to put it all together.

"Why…" Jamie began to say. He struggled a bit, trying to take in deep breaths. He was shaking, trying to force his cries down. "Why – Why don't you believe in them?" he finally managed to ask.

I looked down at the floor, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. If telling him the truth was the only way to heal the wound I had opened, then I might as well sow it back together.

Slowly, I lowered myself down to sit next to him, snaking my arms around him to pull him towards me. At first he resisted, but he quickly began to shed his tears over me, trying to catch his breath. I hushed him down, rubbing his back with my hand. The longer he cried, the more my heart began to break.

"It was eleven years ago, Jamie," I began to explain. My mind flashed back to pieces of the memory I thought I would only be able to remember in my dreams. Immediately, his cries quieted down, ready to listen to what I had prepared to say. "I…" Somehow, telling my own horrific story out loud seemed so unreal to me. I had to choke the words out before I continued. "I was in the car with my parents during Christmas. We were on our way home after spending the day with my grandparents." I rested my chin on his head, letting my eyes tear up at the memory. "My father somehow lost control of the wheel and the car tumbled off the road, hitting a nearby tree. My mother used her own life to save mine when she protected me from the last impact." I brought my hand to my eyes to wipe the drops that were threatening to fall. "And I lived," I spit out. "I figured that if Santa and the Guardians were real… they wouldn't have used such a holiday to ruin one of the best days of my life."

Jamie slowly backed out of the embrace to look at me in the eye. I had to stop myself from looking away. He had never understood the reason he had never met my parents. I wondered if telling him the truth was too frightening for him to listen to.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, fiddling with the sheets as he began to avoid my eyes. I didn't blame him either. Who would ever want look at me again without involuntarily showing their pity?

"Jamie… I've always had my reasons for not believing. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't, and I am sorry I've tried forcing you to share that belief with me."

With that, Jamie slowly rested his head down on the pillow, no further questions asked.

* * *

I looked myself in the mirror, studying every facial feature. I had always hated seeing what I looked like since I had begun to look more and more like my mother as years went further by. However, after telling Jamie about the accident, I indulged myself into the guilty pleasure of seeing my mother in my own reflection. I attempted to make different expressions, trying to see which ones made me look most like her.

It was always the smile.

It was truly ironic. Smiling seemed foreign to me. Only Jamie and Sophie could make those emotional waves of happiness drift over me. I had wondered many times what I looked like when I gave any signs of happiness. I couldn't force it on myself. It was as if frowning was the only thing I was used to anymore. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break myself out of that habit. Nobody had ever been there to.

And tonight, I had decided to guilt myself all the way.

I walked into my bedroom, grabbing the laptop from my desk. I seated myself comfortably in the mattress, opening the screen. I looked at the movie videos that went back all the way to the early 90's when my parents had enough money to afford a video camera to capture their greatest moments.

I spent hours memorizing every video.

There was something for everything. They had captured every birthday, every holiday, every event, every amusing moment, every beautiful, sentimental scene… their lives together seemed to flash before my eyes in only a matter of painful hours. My heart sank as I watched them smile. They had never once looked unhappy: they never did in the videos and neither did they in my memories.

The more I scrolled down, the more my heart began to pound. Every video seemed like a countdown to their death, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to see them look as happy as they always did, even though I knew their end was coming. Something in me dragged me further, pulling me into the hole I didn't want to step through.

I clicked the final one.

It was that same morning on Christmas day. My grandfather, grandmother, parents, and I were all seated in the living room unwrapping presents. The entire focus was mostly on me, since I had the largest amount of gifts. I opened every one with that smile I could no longer seem to recreate. I looked so innocent, so different, so… unfamiliar to who I was now. Granted, it had been eleven years, but it was hard to believe I had grown from that happy, excited, glorious little child to the isolated person I was now.

My father came down to sit next to me as I struggled to open one of the boxes that had been wrapped around for protection. It seemed strange to have my eyes begin to water at the sight of him moving, talking… _breathing _as he sat there, right on my screen. He was entirely focused on opening the box, but that was enough to send me on an emotional rollercoaster.

When the younger version of me unwrapped the gift, I squirmed in happiness. It had been the golden picture frame I still had.

"It has a picture of me and your mother in it now… but maybe, when you get older and began to have your own family, you can put a picture of them here instead."

The six-year-old me looked up at him, wide-eyed at the mention of the many years that lay ahead of me.

"Do you think I'll one day have a family, like you and mom do?" I had asked him.

He smiled down at me as I heard a few chuckles from the room. "I know you will. Do you want to know why?" he asked me.

I held my breath as tear rolled down my cheek. I didn't want the answer. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to listen. But I couldn't stop myself.

"Because you are my beautiful, talented, wonderful daughter. And you are, by far, the definition of love itself," he continued, picking me up and placing me on his lap. I gave him a hug, clutching the frame in my hand, the frame I had never replaced the picture from.

The screen went black.

I gave a shaky sigh, letting the tears stream down my face. I didn't gasp for air; neither did I fold myself to hide them. I let my head rest back against the wall as I cried. It was too painful to think that they were gone, even after all these years. I barely even got to know them, being only six when they died, but they were people. They had lives, they had a family, they had their own thoughts, their own bodies, their own movements and smiles and memories and…

A noise of crackling ice, coming from my window, caused me to drift out of my own wonderland. I rolled my head to the side to see that my window had fogged up. I stepped out of the bed, walking closer to it, gasping, in shock, as letters had begun to magically write themselves on the glass.

In it was a message.

'I'm sorry.'


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
(Jack)

I remembered.

It came to me, watching her as she explained to Jamie why she didn't believe. It clicked together. It all made sense. I wasn't surprised I tried to block such a catastrophic event out of my mind. Thinking about it caused my heart to fall and made it impossibly hard to breath at the tragedy of it. The images began to flash in my head, but I gave every effort to wipe them out. I couldn't do it. I couldn't reimagine myself there again. Not like that. Not in that way. I know I had done the right thing, but…

I sighed, closing my eyes as I let my head fall back against the trunk of the tree. The moon illuminated my figure as I sat on a branch perched high above Burgess. I let my thoughts wander back to the girl who never believed.

* * *

'I'm sorry,' I wrote down against the fog.

I had spent hours looking at her crying in bed. I could stand it no longer. She was hurt and there was nothing I could do about it. There never would be. Not unless I tried.

I had figured it out. I had solved the big mystery. It was like the last puzzle piece had fit right into place. I slowly inched further against the glass to look at her reaction.

She was wide-eyed and frightened. Her tears were still wiped across her cheeks. She looked pale and depressed, like a long-forgotten ghost.

She tried saying something, _anything, _but no words slipped out of her lips. She didn't understand. She didn't know how something could have created those seven letters in mid-air. She didn't realize who I was, or what I was doing here. I smiled, trying to let her know everything was going to be okay.

_Stupid me, _I thought to myself, shaking my head furiously. _Who do you think you are? She doesn't see you, you idiot. _

"What-" she began.

I telepathically encouraged her forwards. I needed her to do anything, to react in any way. I needed her to look anything but heartbroken. It didn't do me any good to see her in such a horrific way.

"_Who are you?_" she screamed, stepping back out of the moonlight.

I quickly fogged it back up again. 'Everything is okay. Please don't be afraid.'

She nervously laughed, fear beginning to overcome her. I could tell she thought she had lost her mind, talking to a _window. _

"Please don't be afraid? _Please don't be afraid? _I'm talking to glass, you hear me? I'm going crazy. I've spent too much time either on the computer, reading fantasy books, or listening to enough fairytale stories from Jamie over these past few months. Just-"

She grabbed the nearest item she could find on the shelf. She held it in her hand furiously ahead of her to protect herself. "I'm warning you. Go away or I'll attack you! " she threatened.

I tried the hardest I could to contain my laughter. My smile was inevitable as I wrote down: 'With a comb?'

She let her eyes fall down to rest on it for a second. Her face went red in embarrassment before she threw it at the window… harder than I expected it to. I flinched backwards a few feet in surprise. She may have been small, but she sure was strong.

"_Get away from here! Leave, whoever you are!_" she screamed, taking hold of anything in the room and chucking it in my direction: books, pillows, blankets, make-up… you name it. She was frantic. My heart plummeted down further and further with each object she threw at me. She hated me. She hated my presence. She was angry with everything and everyone. She had no security, no haven, no person or idea to run to. That would never change.

Unless…

_No, _I told myself, walking backwards, away from the window, away from _her._

_I can't. That's cheating._

But what if…?

What if it worked? What if I could make her begin to believe? What if I could make her enjoy life again and to live it as much as she desired?

She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, trembling. She had shattered to a million pieces. She couldn't stand the thought of such a strange phenomenon. She was completely shaken and had no means of escape.

I slowly, ever so slightly lifted my hand, palm upwards. I let it sit in mid-air for a few seconds, gathering my own thoughts. I looked between my hand and her. Two possibilities. It was either the life she never deserved or the one she never knew she could have. Two complete opposite worlds would collide. What would the outcome be? I didn't have a clue. I didn't even know if it would work. But the curiosity within me was just enough to fall over that edge of doubt.

I took in a deep breath and blew air against my palm, sending a snowflake in her direction. It drifted to land softly on her nose. A blue, magical, misty air formed around her for a few mere seconds. _I've done this plenty of times before, _I reminded myself. _This time shouldn't be any different. _But it was. Everything was different. The situation was different. _She _was different.

There came a long, agonizing silence.

She didn't move. She didn't speak. She didn't react in any way. She remained curled up, staring down at the ground. There was no turning back now. This was the only way. It was the only way to guide her into the right direction. She couldn't stay this miserable forever. It was too painful for even me to bear.

She gradually lifted her head up to look at the window. Her gaze was held clear over mine. I could tell her mind was shifting. Her gears were turning, trying to comprehend the change in state of thought. She tilted her head as if questioning herself. She didn't understand. Not yet.

She stood up, wiping down her clothes to stand back near the window. She scanned the outside area, trying to find any signs of living life. It was then I broke. She didn't see me. Perhaps for a moment, but she had forgotten it by now.

But there was still a chance.

With her hand, she rolled her fingers over the glass, forming letters that turned into words. I studied her carefully. Her complexion was too perfect to be real. She was mesmerizing. Beautiful. I had never seen anyone, or anything, so perfect.

'Who are you?' she asked, staring at her own handwriting. She frowned, trying to let her mind catch up to the idea that she was actually talking to something she couldn't see.

I stayed put. We were both in fragile territory. Anything I did or said out of place would snap her out of the trance. I had to be gentle with her.

I, myself, wrote down: 'A friend.'

"How can I trust you?" she asked out loud.

I looked away into the darkness, letting my thoughts overwhelm me. How _could _she trust me? Why? How could she trust a person she didn't even see? I came up with a million answers. Because I care for you. Because you don't deserve this. Because you need a chance to be content. Because there is more to the life you have now. I would never let anything happen to you.

There was only one way that came close to any of all my answers. 'Because I understand you.'

She hesitated, studying my handwriting. She didn't know how to let that sink in. She probably didn't even know what it meant. However, I sure did.

With that, she scribbled down an answer. She quickly sped around, picking up everything she had thrown. She neatly organized everything, putting it into place before she turned off the light and snuggled herself beneath the covers, giving one last look to the window before she closed her eyes tightly, trying to push every thought away as if she couldn't believe she had done such a thing.

She had written down her answer so quickly, I couldn't read what it said. She was probably too frightened to let the answer seep out so quickly. She had never had the chance to be honest, or even challenge herself. She was coming face to face with reality… or at least with fantasy in her own terms.

_I… o…p…s…t…o…o…_ I gave it a few minutes. I came up with all the phrases I could that could share similarity to her writing. Long after she fell asleep, I smiled to myself, realizing what she had intended to say. She was too afraid to admit anything out loud, even if the words themselves were simple. She didn't want to accept any of that even to herself, no matter how much deep inside her she knew it was true.

'I hope so too.'

With that, I waved the staff into the air and let the wind carry me out above the clear, night sky.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 6  
(Lia)

I didn't know what came over me. I mean… how did I suddenly fall into this? Into these calming, reassuring conversations? I hated it at first. It was impossible. Nothing, no one, not a single living being, was writing anything on that window. It was against every force of nature.

But… why had it become a guilty pleasure?

Why had I allowed myself to fall into this trap? Was it because I was alone? Was it because I didn't have anyone else to talk to? Was I really that naïve? I needed to do something. I needed to get my mind off of it.

I sat down with Jamie as he watched television, wiping my hands on a cloth after washing the dishes. I gave in a sigh of exasperation. It had been two weeks since this spirit had begun talking to me.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked, looking at me with those beautiful childlike eyes.

"Just been having a rough week, I guess," I responded, cocking my head to one side, trying to make any sense of my entire situation. It was too odd for even him to understand, especially with how creative and innocent his mind was.

"Is everything okay? I can help you!" he smiled, jumping up to his knees, eyes gleaming with desire.

I gave a slight chuckle. "I don't think you can help me with this one, buddy. _I_ don't even understand what it means," I said, patting his head and giving him a warm glance before turning back to the screen to look as Spongebob kept every memory he made in his home. His pineapple house was completely full with everything he had used over the past few months. He didn't want to throw any of it away since he believed it contained a large amount of value. Piles of dirty tablecloths, pictures, and food came to the ceiling, but he remained happy in his own world, seeing his own life in front of his own eyes.

If only I had memories like that to hold on to so dearly.

"Please? I can help. Really! I'm smart! I have all A's at school!"

I looked back at him, seeing him so eager to hear his problems. I might as well listen to what he had to say.

"Alright," I said, turning myself so I was facing him instead of the television. "What would you say if something you knew couldn't exist bounced right into your life in a completely unexplainable situation?"

He frowned, confused. "What?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand," I teased him, sticking my tongue back at him.

He stuck his own right back at me. "Well, I mean… in what way? Like… aliens? What happened?"

"Aliens? What kind of thoughts run inside that head of yours?" I laughed a little. "No, I don't think its aliens… It's just… Something was written on my window. Like it was writing itself right in front to me. It was as if… I don't know… as if someone was watching over me, you know? I was scared at first… _really _scared. But in the next instant, I wasn't afraid anymore. I felt at peace. I felt safe."

"Something was writing something on your window? Maybe it's an invisible alien! You know, one of those that terrorize earth and contain special powers? Or a monster! Or…"

He abruptly stopped, face completely frozen as he thought to himself as if wheels were turning in his head.

"What?" I frowned, cringing my eyebrows together. He had never done that talking to me before.

He slowly lifted his hand to tap his chin in thought, looking wearily at me like he was trying to come up with something to say.

"Jamie, what is it?" I asked him. I needed to know any possibly solution for this mysterious identity.

"… You… You said something… some_one… _was writing on your window?" he slowly asked.

"Yes. So?" I asked, leaning back to cross my arms, ready to listen.

"What was this… this thing… writing on?"

"Ice," I responded, trying ferociously hard to try to understand his point.

"Forget it. It was a crazy thought. You would never believe me," he said, standing up and running up to his room before I could even protest against it. He had never stopped from explaining anything before, especially to me. I was someone he trusted with anything, even if it I didn't believe him at times. This really got to me for some odd reason. Something was obviously making sense to him, but he knew it wouldn't make any sense to me.

I stood up and followed him to his room, only to find that the light was off and he had already curled himself up into bed. I knew very well he wasn't asleep. He would always protest against it, especially without a bedtime story.

Heartbroken, I closed the door, trying hard not to slam the door in defeat. With that, I sat against the wall, wrapping my arms around my legs, leaning my forehead against my knees until his parents safely arrived home.

* * *

Walking home that night, I couldn't help but feel a dread pass over me I had never felt before. It was as if a feeling of weakness had drifted over me that came with the fact that I was the only one that seemed oblivious to the situation. I was missing something. I was missing _everything. _Nothing seemed real anymore. Nothing was the same as it ever was, and I recognized that. I wanted everything to be back to the way it was… but I needed to know the truth.

I slipped into my rosy red shorts and grey sweatshirt, walking out as I pressed the towel to my damp hair to dry it. Already, written in the window, was the regular greeting of the… thing… I was talking to.

I smiled to myself, content filling my heart up once again. I danced over to the window, replying at its "Hello" with a soft smile. I had picked up after a few nights that this imaginary person could hear me, _see _me, but I couldn't do the same with it. Sometimes, it felt irritating, knowing that it knew my schedule and what I did throughout the day… going to school, doing my schoolwork, watching the screen of my computer as I cried myself to an endless sleep. But at least I knew that it was there for me. Somehow, I knew that it would never leave.

"You know," I said out loud, "You've got to come up with some new greeting _sometime_," I teased it, sticking out my tongue at my own reflection. If this thing was a person, I could imagine him snorting.

Words began to magically appear. It always caught my attention how beautiful and elegant the handwriting seemed to be against the ice.

_Would it be better if I didn't greet you at all? _It retorted.

"Ha. Funny. I think it's a bit too late for you to do that," I replied, snickering. Was it too late? Had I grown so attached to this… this… being that I had let the boundary of my own imagination and reality intertwine? Was it too late to call it off, to try to push on with my life, knowing how hard it would be to let go? This was the only person I felt I could talk to… even if it had only been days since we had first spoken.

My thoughts began to drift off to Jamie again and his reluctance to speak out about his own belief. I immediately began to regret snapping at him that one night when I told him to knock it off with the Guardian business. Things seemed to be tenser between us and I hated carrying that guilt with me. It was an ongoing reminder of how harsh I had been to him. He had never deserved that. Not in his entire life. Not ever would he ever hear me treat him like that again. If I did… I didn't know what I would do with myself. He shouldn't carry the stress I brought home from my own life on top of his own.

_What's wrong? _The thing wrote down as I realized I had wandered off to my own thoughts in my head. I snapped back my head to the handwriting. There were no words to describe my feelings. There never would be. If I even began to speak out loud any of them, I knew I would be on the verge of an embarrassing situation. I would probably choke up in sobs, crying like a lunatic at myself in my own room.

"Nothing… A lot of stress going on right now, I guess. I'm just… worried about the child I take care of after school. Both of them, actually. Things have been so tense ever since…" I tore away the last of my thoughts. That was something I needed to keep to myself. But what if this thing could give me some well-needed advice? Maybe whatever this thing was could help me figure out what I could do to bring the liveliness back to the friendship I used to have with Jamie.

He still hadn't written anything down. He must have known I was still debating on what to write.

I continued, "I snapped back at him for some of his own beliefs." I almost laughed at myself. That sounded so vulnerable and weak. That seemed to have no impact on how much I meant it.

_It can't be all that bad. What beliefs? _

Immediately I responded: "He has this strong belief in the type of holiday characters that live in books, movies, stories… You name it. He claims he even saw them once. Quite a few of them, in fact. Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, the Boogeyman, the Easter Bunny, the Boogeyman, Jack Frost… He named them 'The Guardians.' They supposedly help protect kids from around the world from any dangers. Apparently, the Boogeyman was trying to feed off all the hopes and dreams that all children had, and Jamie managed to save the Guardians along with all the children from around the world. The story itself is pretty will thought out. It's just… he's nine. He's gotten too old to believe in that. Most of the kids he goes to school with have started to tease him about it and I've begun to worry…" I abruptly stopped, giving a side-glance to the window. "I'm blabbing again… aren't I?" I asked him.

_Why do you suppose he wants to continue believing so much? _

"I wish I could know. There must be some reason behind it. He's always so wrapped up in his fantasy and I don't want him to continue having this looming story over his head for the rest of his life. It could completely corrupt him." That was what worried me the most. What if he continued believing? What if his own thoughts in his own world became so distinctly large that he no longer knows what life was living without them? He would soon realize as an adult that that didn't exist. Everybody did at some point. With the responsibility of their own lives put down on their shoulders, there was no longer any time to live with that sort of stuff, no matter how much we wanted to.

_Why don't you believe? _

I almost gasped in shock. I had never, _ever, _been asked why. Everybody knew from a young age that I didn't believe. Children at school never bothered trying to convince me because they simply classified me as 'The Girl that Lost Her Parents." Once they realized that it wasn't real, they gave me a chance to develop friendships, but I threw it away, not wanting to feel a bond to anyone in fear of how it would affect me in the future. So why didn't I believe? Because the possibly idea that make-believe characters like that existed was just a way to help people get through their everyday lives. It was a way to have a feeling of comfort through restless nights, or to find excuses to bring families and friends to each other to give gifts. It was an excuse to put all the lost hopes and fearful things that existed in life in a box, locking it away for a single day. I didn't believe because if these things existed, if these different colorful personalities honestly cared about the children as much as Jamie pictured them to, they wouldn't have let a child lose her parents on Christmas Day.

"I-"

The door of my bedroom swung open, slamming against the wall. I flinched in surprise, jumping to my feet.

My grandfather lurched himself through, swaying side by side. The intoxicating smell of the alcohol made it unbearable to even stand. He held his cane tightly, his skin pale-white against the gleaming light of the moon. He murmured a few things under his breath as he collapsed to the ground, face-up, unable to hold the weight of his own body over his feet.

"Grandpa!" I screamed out. I sprinted to his side, almost sliding through the carpet on my knees, letting it burn the outer layer of my skin. I flipped him to his side to make sure he wouldn't choke with any oncoming throw up. I placed my hand over his chest. I soon felt the light beating of his heart against the palm of my hand. I gave in a sigh of relief as I rested my chin on his head, wrapping my arms around his clammy neck. My own heart raced, pounding against my chest, threatening to jump out in a wave of fear.

I closed my eyes as I whispered, "If the Guardians protected people, they would have never ruined a child's family."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
(Jack)

The fact that her grandfather had walked in, drunk, collapsing to the ground, shattered me in ways I didn't think possible. I pressed my body against the window, looking frantically at her to make sure everything was okay.

She was shaking. I could see it from where I stood. She was scared. I immediately knew it had never been as bad as it was now.

"Help!" she began to cry out in sobs. "Help!" She was hopeless. But how would I manage to help her? It wasn't possible. I couldn't just lift her grandfather in the air without her having a heart attack herself.

I flew back among the trees and swung my staff through the air. A breeze picked up from the forest, knocking down everything in its path. Leaves were picked up, the branches rustled, the ground trembled. I flew, determined, straight through the window, just as it opened by, as if welcoming me with open arms.

She screamed in surprise, blocking her eyes with her forearm, clutching her grandfather as close as she could to herself. I shivered in emotion. She was in the brink of losing somebody else she loved… she could never handle something like that again. Not in her lifetime.

I flew straight down to my knees, furtively moving her grandfather's head so he faced me. My heart plummeted at the sight of him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, weeks, possibly months… His white hair was completely disheveled. He had a strong, masculine complexion, but it had been lost over the mourning of his own children. The wise, all-knowing expression that seemed to have lived in his eyes no longer existed. They were replaced by a deathly glow, one that now seemed irreplaceable with words.

I looked up at her. She stared down at her grandfather, eyes reddening in tears, ignoring the snow gracefully landing on the bedroom floor. She had no one in her life besides her grandfather that existed in her bloodline. If she lost him, her world would end in chaos. She was already on the brink of her maximum tolerance. One solitary push over the edge could cause more destruction than I could even imagine.

I closed my eyes, focusing all my energy on him. I let my palm face the ceiling as I felt a snowflake land on it. Immediately, a light gleamed, shining throughout the room that only I could see. Frost began to cover up the now cold, damp room. I begged to the Man on the Moon for sign of compassion. He had saved my life once, long ago, before the generation in my arms even existed. If he had shown love then, he could show it now. _Please work, _I begged to myself. _Please… please let me save this life… _

A coughing, wheezing sound came from the man at my feet. I suddenly began to feel every beat of my heart slamming against my chest as I gave out a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding. I was shaking in fear. I had never witnessed anybody's death other than my own… and now wasn't the time to find out what it was like to experience that as they died in your arms.

She gently held him close, crying out and sobbing tears of joy. My heart, content, felt a glimmer of satisfaction. I had done the right thing. Of all the things I had done in my life… causing snowstorms, making people trip, and even putting lives in danger, especially that of Jamie, for the first time, I felt… happy, overjoyed, and thankful. I felt proud that I had done something that wouldn't have benefited me in my own way. I knew I wasn't the most responsible and important being on the face of the earth. In fact, I was anything _but _that. It may have not made an impact on the world, but it affected me in ways I would never understand for a long time.

* * *

"Jingle bells, woo! Jingle bells, yeah! Jingle all the way…" I heard North's voice chime across the hallway of the factory. I laughed to myself as I heard the violins, pianos, drums, and woodwinds muse together to form a melody that he enjoyed.

I quietly snuck around the workplace as North's workers hustled away, packaging things into boxes and giftwrapping them for the children across the world. Some finished up details in certain toys, others played with them to make sure they worked. Occasionally, they would look up at the massive, magical globe located in the heart of the factory to make sure the children still believed after Pitch tried taking over Easter.

I was like a shadow as I snuck over to North's door, decorated in elaborate carved drawings and swirls that spelled out: Santa. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, as if anybody didn't know that this was his workshop.

"Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!" I heard his booming voice ring inside.

_One… _

Steps seemed to shake the ground as he paced around, checking any last minute preparations for the big night.

_Two… _

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…" He took a few steps as I heard him walk towards the door.

_Three!_

Clutching my staff in my hand, I slammed my shoulder on the door, swinging it open as I worked my magic as I tried prying open the windows to let the coldness breeze inside. I shut my eyes at the sudden burst of adrenaline, flying forward into the room. My feet skidded on the ground as I veered forwards.

Suddenly, I hit something hard, catching me off balance as I tumbled down to the ground. I felt my body throb at the impact. I blinked my eyes open as I supported the weight of my head with my hand. I felt a shadow cast across my face as the light outlined North's figure. His height seemed intimidating as he looked down upon me without a single trace of humor. My heart began to race at the sight of him. He didn't seem enthusiastic at all. This wasn't like him. Either I had caught him in a bad mood or…

A laugh escaped his lips as he clutched his stomach, eyes beginning to fill his tears. "You-" he began to say, placing his hands on his knees as he bent over. "You think that I haven't been expecting that? C'mon, where's your touch! You pulled that same trick last year, my boy!" he boomed with a slight slur of his Russian accent.

He lowered down his hand. I smiled as he helped me up, kicking myself mentally for not recalling that. Last year had seemed so far away, I could barely even remember any of it. So much had changed in only a single, solitary year of the 300 I had lived.

"Ugh," I groaned. "I guess I'm just running out of ideas. I was on a role, too! What is it now? 392 to 298?"

"Well, that must be point in my favor, no? I hammered down those windows so I wouldn't fall for that trick again."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, I'm still winning by about a hundred," I bragged to him, waving him off as I tipped my chin up in pride.

"Don't get too full of yourself there, my friend! It's 'eh fun that counts!" he gleamed as he patted down my shoulder, causing me tumble off balance a bit.

"So where've you been this week? Haven't seen you in a while now!" he asked as he got back to work as he perfected his ice train track. It seemed to be his most treasured creation of his. He loved making the train over and over again every year, no matter how many times one of his workers would manage to somehow destroy it.

"Oh… you know… just doing the normal…" I forcefully chuckled, trying to hide the truth of my whereabouts.

"Normal? Ah, I don't think there's 'normal' when it comes to Guardians! I'm guessing you've been helping me get people ready for holiday, no?" he winked at me, carving down the wheel of the train as he ate a cookie from the tray the elves had brought to them.

The music continued to play through the room as North began to hum along. I played with the stick, debating on whether or not to tell him what was on my mind.

When I realized there wasn't a radio, my eyebrows furrowed. North had always had a radio during his work time.

"Where's the music coming from?" I asked him, turning around in circles like a dog.

"Ah! I got 'eh television and computer! Very handy. Can listen to whatever I enjoy, right on the spot!" he exclaimed in joy as his eyes filled with excitement.

"You know how to use computers? That's new… I always imagined you as a more… old-fashioned sort of guy," I told him as I set my eyes on the sleek computer monitor put in the back of the room on his desk. I turned around and then saw the large, wide computer screen located just above the door. It was muted, but you could see the commercials humans played on news channels.

"Well, I really don't handle it. Got too much on my hands now with Christmas! I let the workers do it. Want to see television? It's interesting, amount 'eh things you can find there! Don't know why've never gotten it before! Come, come! Sit down by me. Help me keep the ice frozen!"

I walked over to him, placing my hand on the track as I sat down on the table, dangling my feet over the edge, watching the forecast from New York City in the States. Something about money issues played along.

I never understood it really. These children, growing up with all these marvelous lives, managed to grow up in a world full of chaos. I didn't understand how they could even enjoy it. Ever since the rise of the technological and industrial business world, the lives of countless people became corrupted with greed, wealth, arrogance, and class. What was the point of it? What was the point of being cooped up in such a hateful place when the world was truly the most beautiful gift the universe could have ever given us?

The screen suddenly transitioned into the weather forecast. A man, dressed in a black suit, talked to the viewers, giving numbers and figures of degrees of temperature in different areas of the state.

"… Surprisingly enough, it appears that this week will be sunny with no expected snow or rain fall. The degrees will remain warm during the day and slightly cold at night. I suppose we will not be receiving Christmas spirit this year from the weather. Back to you, Matthew…"

"_WHAT?_" North screeched as he dropped the train, letting it crash to the ground, shattering it into millions of little pieces. Shocked, I bounced backwards, knocking myself off the table, landing on the floor on my back. The air was whipped out of me as I rolled onto my side, groaning.

"What is this, Jack? Why haven't you given snow to this… this… this New York town?" he proclaimed, crossing his arms, slowly walking towards me.

I bounced up quickly, trying hard not to show how much my fall had hurt. Innocently, I tried telling him, "Look, I can explain… Really! I can! There was this… thing going on that I had to fix really quickly and… it… it just really took a bite out of my time and-"

"What was so important to overthrow the gift of snow for Christmas?" he asked a little bit more harshly, trying to force out the answer from me.

"Well…" I began. "There's this… girl… that I know… in a way. She takes care of Jamie and Sophie and… I don't know. Something about her caught my attention. So I investigated and it turns out that… uh…" I hesitated. If I told him, what would he think of me? What would he think of what I had done and how I had ruined her life? I was so different back then. So reckless… It sickened me to think what I had done in the past.

"Look," I gestured with my hands, trying to protect myself as he continued to stride forwards. "I've just had a lot on my mind recently with a lot of things from my private life. I just needed some… space. Yeah, hopefully that's not too bad of a word," I murmured, scratching the back of my head.

I looked up at North. He had no amused look in his face. I gave out a nervous laugh.

"You can't get off track with this Christmas coming, Jack. It's 'eh major holiday since Pitch tried taking over the world! We have to assure that the children still believe. Whoever this girl is, you have to stop seeing her. She's distracting you from your job as a Guardian! If this continues on-"

"Woah, woah, woah! Who said you could be my father? I'm going to continue seeing this girl whether you like it or not," I protested, flying up to balance myself on top of my staff.

"Think of the children, Jack! Think of the Christmas spirit that could be lost if you do not do your part as a Guardian. Christmas is a chance of hope and wonder for them. This girl brings danger. You can't afford getting sidetracked. I once made that mistake myself and I ended up paying for it for a long time. People didn't believe for me in years! My downfall led to Pitch's rise during the Dark Ages. If anything goes wrong…"

"Nothing _will _go wrong. I'm not going to let this slip. Do you think I would honestly do that after what Pitch pulled off earlier this year? I know how much this Christmas rides on everyone's shoulders this year. But you've just got to trust me."

"Trust you? How can I trust you, Jack, when one of 'eh biggest cities in the world isn't getting snow or winter breeze? They share news to 'eh world. They are the fundamental industry of news!" North explained. His fear was shown as his accent got worse with every word.

"You don't trust me with this? How long have we known each other? How long have I been at your side? I helped save everybody when Pitch attacked. How can you say that you can't trust me?"

"Wait, Jack-" he began as he realized what he had said and how I was taking it.

"No," I told him, cutting him off. I gulped, feeling my chest plummet to the floor. He had always been there for me. Why was he doing this now? "No," I began again. "You go on. Believe that. See if I care. But I am _not _going to stop seeing her."

With that, I stormed out of the room, enraged. My eyes started to burn as I held back my tears. Everything that had seemed so bright when I entered the workplace – the toys, the decorations, the elves –now seemed dull. North had been there for me since I became Jack Frost. How could he believe that I wasn't responsible enough to do my job as a Guardian? We both worked together just as well as the snow worked with Christmas.

"Jack, are you okay?" I heard Toothiana ask behind me as she flew by. Concern was shown in her eyes as she flew closer.

I didn't respond. I just kept going. I needed to get away. I needed to find somewhere to reflect how I felt. My emotions were swarming inside, ready to explode. I didn't know how long I could hold it.

I reached the entrance of the workplace and pushed open the double doors, letting my feet drag along the snow. For the first time, I felt the coldness of the snow more unwelcoming than before. I shivered as I fell to my knees, shouting in protest against the chilly air.

I walked up the cliff the factory lied on. I looked down into the empty, black darkness that awaited below. I had my reasons for everything I did. North had no right to judge my own behavior. Yes, he was like a father to me. He protected me at all costs. But that didn't mean he could dictate what I did or how I felt.

Without a second thought, I opened my arms and let myself fall down, feeling the air zip around me. The screeching sound of the wind was overbearing. The air ripped through my hair and clothing. Seconds passed by as I plummeted down to the abyss waiting below. The rough wind seemed only like a breeze now.

Just as the ground began to come to pass, I whipped my staff in the air. The wind quickly picked up, carrying me out back to face the human world.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
(Lia)

Jamie locked himself up in the room for days. He took every chance he had to escape from my sight. Whenever I would have dinner, he would keep quiet, looking down at the ground. It wasn't his usual character. I figured that his strange aura would pass after a certain amount of time, but it went on for days. With Christmas only two weeks away, I was making every attempt to connect to him like I once had. We still spoke about everything: school, likes, dislikes, movies, TV shows, cartoons… but that was about as far as it would go. We no longer had those deep emotional conversations we did before.

As I sat, pondering this, Sophie jumped up onto my lap with Bunnymund cuddled deep within her arms. She was, as always, the bright sunshine of the house, never failing to make me smile. "Let's play!" she proclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Woah, there, Soph! Have you finished your work yet? You know you can't go back to school tomorrow without having your homework completed," I told her, eyeing her carefully.

"But I want to play with Bunny!" she protested, throwing a pouting face at me.

I sighed. "I know, honey… but," I began, picking her up and taking her to the kitchen table, taking her things out of her Santa Clause backpack. "Do you want your parents to come home and get you in trouble when they find out you didn't do your work?"

With that, she crossed her arms, debating what she preferred. Her forehead scrunched together in deep thought as she processed the different options before her. "Will you help me?" she quietly asked.

"Who said I wouldn't? Of course I'll help! What is it you have to do?"

She immediately began to gleam as she took out a paper out of her folder. "I have to draw something that represents me."

"Something that represents you? Like an animal?" I asked, picking up her project information sheet, reading it up and down, word for word.

"No, who I am as a person."

"Ah, I see now. So what do you think represents you?" I asked, clasping my hands down on the table.

"I was thinking eyes, like you!" she said.

"Like me?"

"Yeah, you have really pretty, big ones!" she said, taking a blanks sheet of paper and drawing down the best eyes she could.

"I guess I can see that…" I whispered, letting my past experiences flash before my eyes.

* * *

"_Alright class, as you all know, this is DrawDay Friday! Today I have something really cool to show you guys," Mrs. Nightly announced to the class as she picked up projects upon projects of colored-in eyes from past classes she had taught. Everybody in the classroom 'oohed' and 'ahhhhed' to the magnificent different examples of the different masterpieces. _

"_This week's project is to draw your eyes, trying to show things that represent you within them. It can be anything you want them to be." _

"_But that's not fair! Some of us don't have big eyes like Lia does," someone shouted out from the back. I whipped my head back in shock. I supposed I did have big eyes. My family members always thought my eyes were abnormally much larger than anybody else they had ever known. _

"_Now, that doesn't mean that your artwork won't be as good. Your eyes are a symbol of who you are as a person. They express your emotions and your thoughts. Lia, most likely, can show that she is a wondrous, open-minded person. You, Hannah, could show that you are social and active. Now, to do this project…"_

* * *

_Cecilia finished out her witch costume with a dark violet-purple, sharp hat and curly black haired wig. "How does it look?" she asked as she looked at herself through the full-length mirror, fluffing out her perfectly fitting black dress. Her olive skin complexion along with her chocolate colored eyes lured any boy in, and it was clear that was exactly what she was striving for. Granted, she was still ten, but she had already had plenty boyfriends. I, having none, felt out of place. In a way, I was just a convenient friend for her. I was just the last person along the lines of the many friends she had. _

"_You look amazing," I told her, standing up to stand next to her in the mirror. _

"_I wish I was pretty enough to pull it off, though." I rolled my eyes in the back of my mind. She always tried fishing for compliments. It really wasn't worth trying to tell her how gorgeous she was. She would push it off as if no big deal. _

"_You are beautiful. Really. It's no question why all the guys at school always come running for you." _

"_All the them are just dorks. Plus, none of them are even attractive," she explained, looking at how she looked in the back, eyeing every inch of her body._

"_You thought Alan was sort of cute."_

"_That was before he kissed that other girl during recess… that idiot. I was stupid to think he could be 'the one," she said dramatically. "Anyways, I hope that I can see new guys at this party. I'm in my last year of elementary school and I want to see the whole lot before opening up to all the other options I'll have next year. Why don't you get dressed up? It's Halloween. There's no school tomorrow, meaning no bedtime. I mean… even you have to admit that going outside is better than staying at home."_

"_I know, I know. I just wouldn't have anybody to be with. And I don't want you to have to drag me along. None of the guys are ever interested in me. All they ever see is you."_

_That was how I played being her friend. It was the only way you could say anything. Every single thing you said had to give her a compliment in some way. If not, you were excluded from her circle of relationships. That was the last thing I could afford right now, given the certain circumstances about living with my alcoholic grandfather. _

"_That's because whenever you walk up to a guy, you're either looking up at the sky or looking down at your shoes. They never get to actually see you face-to-face and have a conversation with you. If you actually let them look at you in the eye, they would give you a chance."_

"_Why the eyes?"_

_With that, Cecilia, turned to me with a tight expression as if I were just a dumb bunny. "Come one, even you have to know that your eyes are the prettiest of those in the entire school. You're never going to win over a guy if you never let them see you _and _the eyes."_

"_Maybe it's better off that way."_

"_Oh, please, stop it with your whole dramatic life story. I get it. Your parents died. But you have to get over it. I know it's hard, but that's the only way you'll ever be able to move on. That's what's always holding you back."_

"_I'm sorry if I'm such a let-down, Cecilia, but it is kind of hard living with my grandfather when he's drunk the entire time. You're lucky. You have parents that actually care about you and let you have fun all the time," I defensively said, crossing my arms and turning myself to look at her full on. _

"_You don't have to be so nasty about it. You're just jealous because I get all this attention," she continued, lifting up the mascara up to her eyes again for the umpteenth time. _

"_I'm not jealous."_

"_Really? Is that why you try so desperately to be with me all the time, trying to make yourself part of the circle I'm in? So you can get the guys to look at you? Don't hide it. I see it, I'm not stupid."_

_I felt my face boil in anger. How could she even say something like that? I was the only _true _friend she had. I was the only one she ever even came to for advice with whatever guy she had problems with. All the other friends always just thought it was annoying since it happened so often. And what if I _was _jealous? I admired her life. She had everything anybody could ever ask for. She was popular, she was gorgeous, she had a family, and she had that flirtatious look to her everybody else had to constantly work for. _

"_That's besides the point. At least I'm a real friend to you, rather than all those other girls at school that you always hang out with. They don't even care about you as much as I do!"_

_With that, she smacked the mascara down at the ground and gave me a dangerous stare, clenching her fists. "How dare you say that? I _do _have real friends. You're the one that doesn't have any. _I'm _the one doing you a favor by even talking to you in the first place." _

_I didn't even respond. I felt like I had been smacked in the face. I let my jaw fall open. _

"_You know what? I don't want to deal with this. I'm done," she said, starting to put all the things back in her bag and calling her parents to pick her up. _

"_W-wait, Cecilia… I… I didn't mean any of it." _

"_Cut it, Lia. It's too late for that act. I don't feel sorry for you anymore." _

_With that, she threw on her coat, gave me one last glance, and walked out into the cold night air until her parents arrived._

* * *

_I laughed at Jackson as we twirled side to side on the dance floor. It felt like the first time I had laughed since my parent's death. His quirky, outgoing personality was just enough to make me smile for just a while. He had just become a close neighbor and friend._

_I could feel everybody's gaze on us. I wasn't necessarily surprised. Jackson was one of the most popular guys at school. He was involved in all the middle school sports, he was entertaining, and, not to mention, he was very handsome. Plus, he was the new guy, who _wouldn't _want to find out more about him? _

"_You know, I never knew you could be this fun to be around, Lia," he said out of the blue as the beat of the song continued on. _

"_You think I'm fun?" I asked, surprised. That was something I wasn't used to, especially since it was coming from _him.

"_Sure! I mean, I know you've had it pretty hard, but once you loosen up, you can really be awesome."_

_I felt my cheeks glow slightly red at his comment. It was remarkable to be called that for the first time. Fun. The word almost seemed foreign to me. _

_A slow song, "Can't Help Falling in Love With You," began to play, ringing throughout the cafeteria. My heart began to pound as he held out his hand. I shakily grasped it as he led me even further through the dance floor. Everybody made way for us, more interested in our lives rather than their own. _

"_So, if you don't mind me asking, why have you shielded yourself so much since… you know…" _

"_My parents' death?" At the blunt response, I continued, "It's not like it's a rule not to say it out loud. I guess I don't want to be pitied in a way. Whenever I talk to people, all I ever feel from them is sympathy… and I don't want that. I just want a normal life. But it's sort of impossible when everybody knows practically ever secret of every person in this town." _

_He nodded, thinking it through. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I wish I could do someth-"_

"_You are," I cut him off. He gaped at me, shocked at my sudden outburst. _

Oh God, how embarrassing_, I thought to myself. "I… I just meant… you know, this, right here, right now… That's all I ever really needed. You ask because you _want _to know, not just because it's the status quo. And I appreciate that." _

_He didn't respond. Instead, he looked far off into the distance, thoughts churning inside his head. We danced silently for a few moments, not really knowing what to say. I looked anywhere else but into his crystal clear, blue eyes. I had let something get so close, but now that I had embarrassed myself, I knew we would never speak again. Why would he want to? I was practically telling him: I LIKE YOU in clear, block letters, right over my head. _

"_Sorry, I just-"_

_Before I processed anything, I felt warm arms drape themselves around me. I let my arms fall to my sides, my mind completely going blank. I stood still as Jackson held me close, tugging at my heartstrings. I felt ready to burst into tears. I had never felt anyone hug me before. No one had even really given me the time to do so. _

"_I'm so sorry," Jackson began. _

_A tear had barely made its way out of my eye before he released me, just as the song had come to an end. _

"_By the way, did you know you have really large, beautiful eyes?" he asked, jumping up and down to the beat of the next song. "It's kind of interesting. I feel like they're… you… in a way… I don't know. It's hard to explain. But, of course, I guess I'm just weird." _

_I laughed out loud, enjoying the fast rhythm of the melody. "Thank you," I told him as the crowds began to encircle us whole._

Remembering about my time with Jackson made my heart ache a bit. His father had gotten a new job with the industry he had been in the following month, when we had become the closest friends I had ever had with anybody. Everybody at school had called us the "Fire and Ice" couple. Complete opposites, both in social standing and in personalities, but still having a great deal of mix between us both.

"Hey, Sophie, after this, do you want to go out on a walk?" I asked as she colored in her project.

"Can we go sleigh? Can we make snowmen? And snow angels? And throw snowballs at each other?" she piped up gleefully.

"Of course! Isn't that what snow was made for?" I asked.

She shrieked in happiness and scribbled color in even faster, trying to get it done as fast as she could. _Typical Sophie, _I grimaced to myself. I smiled, happy to know that she at least was happy to spend some time with me.

* * *

"_You okay? You seem distracted," _the mysterious figure wrote down on the window.

"Yeah," I responded. "I've just been having a rough week. Not the best one so far, I can tell you that."

_What's been going on?_

"Jamie's just been ignoring me, and I don't know why that is. We've always been very close and this is the first time he's ever completely shut me out. We still talk about everything, but just not in the same way. I don't know what to do."

_Should you ask him?_

"I've tried, I really have, but it's like he doesn't think he can trust me. I wish I could help him change his mind about it. I mean, I've been there for him so many times. I know I'm not the liveliest person ever, though. Let's face it, my past isn't necessarily the best compared to other people out there. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even a good role model for him. I mean, that's all I want to be. Sophie and Jamie are the world to me. I suppose it's because they remind me of the childhood I never had. And-"

_You are a good role model._

I smiled, letting my head lean against the wall, crossing my arms. "Not if you really think about it. I'm not the smartest person at school, I'm pretty much a mood killer, and I practically burn all the food I make for them."

The spirit didn't respond for a while. I supposed he must have been laughing.

_You won't be a good role model unless you believe you are._

I stared at the handwriting for a while. I sighed, jumping down from the desk. "All I know for now is that I need to give him space. That's the only option I have."

I yawned, stretching my whole body as I rested myself down on the bed.

"Good night…" I barely managed to whisper as my mind recollected itself in my dreams.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
(Jack)

It had been days since my last talk to Jamie and I decided to give him a visit before Christmas got any closer. I knew he would be excited to see me. It had been a while.

Snow began to fall as I buzzed with happiness. I needed anything to get my mind off of North and the other Guardians. I knew they didn't understand why I kept visiting her. I wasn't even completely sure myself. All I knew, however, was that if I stopped with the secret conversations we had and the walks home I gave her… _something_ would happen.

Once I got to the house, I flew myself over to his window. With my staff, I tapped the glass. Ice began to creep itself over it, flourishing over to its very edges. I began to draw in a Christmas tree with presents around its base. I drew Jamie and Sophie hanging up the socks over the fireplace. I was focusing in on creating the flames of the fire when the window suddenly burst open, knocking me backwards in the air.

I let out a puff of shock, flying outwards, making myself vulnerable to my own snow. I looked up to see Jamie with wide open eyes, leaning himself out of his bedroom. "Jack!" he exclaimed with an exasperated look on his face – something I wasn't expecting. "Where have you been?"

I let out a small laugh. "Well, being a Guardian is quite some work, you know. I have to constantly travel around the world every day! It's more difficult than it sounds. Besides, I-"

"Are you talking to Lia?" Jamie interrupted with a look of concern.

"Lia?" I responded, confused.

"You have to know her. She comes here all the time. She takes care of me and Sophie when my parents aren't home. She's sort of tall, blonde, big eyes…?"

So her name was Lia? It had never occurred to me that I had never even known her name. It was ironic, really, that we talked about almost everything and anything, yet we weren't even familiar with each other's true identities. "_Lia_," I whispered, like the name itself was as valuable as gold.

"Why do you know that?" I asked. Would she have mentioned something to him? Perhaps about what we had talked about? I hadn't even considered her telling him about it. But, again, she _was_ pretty close to Jamie.

"She only mentioned it once. She was talking about how she didn't understand how she could be talking to someone who she couldn't even see. I was going to tell her it was you, but I knew she wouldn't believe me so I've tried ignoring her as much as I can. But I'm pushing her away and I'm scared, Jack! You have to tell her," Jamie begged. He was passionate about his belief – which I could tell.

I did have to admit that I wanted to tell her. I wanted to for a long time. I needed her to see me. I wanted her to know the truth about her parents, about the Guardians, about how the nature of the world worked… about _me. _With every passing day, the harder it was not writing my identity on the glass that separated both worlds from each other.

But I couldn't.

I sighed, trying to think up of anything to tell him. How could I explain to him that it simply wasn't that easy? That although it was my greatest wish to tell her the truth, revealing that other side of the world would only make it worse for Lia?

"Jamie," I began, flying passed him and sitting myself down on his bed, legs crossed, leaning myself on the staff. "Jamie, it's not that simple. I just can't tell her."

"Why not?" he proclaimed, making his way over to me.

I looked down at the ground before continuing: "She's going through a pretty tough time right now. I don't know if you realize it, but Lia is deeply scarred and hurt. Right now, anything surprising her as much as finding out who I really am can set her off and make it harder for her in the future."

"But it wouldn't be a lie anymore. You could finally spend time with her. She would _see _you!"

"How are you so sure?" I asked, meeting eye contact with him. "Just because she'd be told the truth doesn't mean she'll believe it. It would take a lot more for her to believe. It took a few tries for children across the world to see me for the first time."

"But she _does _believe. She _has_ to. She just… doesn't want to for some reason. I _know _she wants to. Please, promise me you'll try to tell her. I don't know how much longer I can take keeping this secret. She gets sadder and sadder the more time that I keep avoiding her."

I pressed my palms against my forehead in defeat, millions of thoughts racing in my head. Both choices were a risk that I couldn't imagine taking. Both decisions could ultimately lead to a path that would harm both sides.

"I'll think about it," I carefully said, giving him a hug. "It's better than nothing."

I could feel him smile on my shoulder.

I smiled as well, but for a different reason. I carefully lifted my hand, making sure he couldn't feel anything. I slightly lifted my staff off the ground. Before Jamie processed anything, a ball of snow had flown itself through the window, hitting him square in the head.

"Oof!" he yelled out, pushing me away and shaking off all the excess snow. I warily looked away, whistling, obviously making myself the committer of the crime.

"That's not fair! You can create snow in midair!" Jamie protested with a joking frown plastered across his face.

"Aw, but that would be cheating, wouldn't it?" I sarcastically responded, taking him to any challenge he had to offer. With my other hand, I drifted my hand across the air, making a pile of snowballs appear at both opposite ends of the room.

"Ready?" I began. "Set?"

"Go!" Jamie finished as he dove for his own pile, reaching for a ball and throwing it in my direction. I instinctively ducked, avoiding the hit. The snowball hit the lamp behind me, causing the light to go off.

"Cheater!" I implied, taking my own snowball and throwing it right back at him, hitting Jamie straight in the chest.

He laughed as he picked one after the other up, hitting it across different spots in the room, trying his hardest to hit me as I swerved side to side. His aims began to get steadier and closer, causing me to collide into his bookshelf and fan along the way. We both laughed as we seemed to dance around the room with the spirit of competition in the air.

I had only looked behind at Jamie for a split second when I suddenly heard the door creak open. Barely managing to stop myself, I dove straight for his closet, landing among his piles of clothing. The light was seeped out of view as I was dug deep into his attire. My head spun at the impact.

I heard a few voices. I popped my head out of the pile, spitting out a sock. Right there in front of me was Lia. I shrieked in surprise, causing me to fall backwards again, hitting my head on the wall. _How can someone possibly be this clumsy? _

"Jamie, what are you doing?" I heard her ask. I stood up, walking out of the closet to inspect the situation.

That was when she seemed to realize that the entire room was dripping wet with snow. She gaped at the view, trying to come up with something to say.

"J-Jamie, how did you…"

Jamie scratched the back of his head, looking down at his feet. "Um…"

"Why is this room so _wet?_" she ironically exclaimed as a drop of water landed in her hair. She flinched.

"I was just-"

"What are your parents going to say when they see this?" she asked, probably wondering whether or not they would be more upset at Jamie or her herself for letting it happen? "How did you get all this in here?" When she realized Jamie had begun to shiver, she took off her jacket and wrapped it around him.

"I was playing," Jamie explained, trying to give the least amount of information possible.

"By yourself? I thought I heard you talking to someone," she cocked her head to her side, rubbing her hand up and down his back, trying to get him warm.

Jamie looked up at me with pleading eyes. _No, _I mouthed to him. _Don't do it. _He looked between Lia and me, a battle raging inside his head. I shook my head. "Jamie, not yet. Don't!"

Lia kept looking at Jamie, waiting for an answer. He was running out of time and he knew it. He grabbed his shirt in his hand, clenching his jaw in thought. I was hopeless. He wouldn't… not after begging him not to. I had let him known how important this was to me...

But he looked up at her. He was looking up at her with a look I knew far too well.

"Don't-" I screeched, making my way over to him.

"It was Jack Frost!" Jamie proclaimed, meeting eye contact with her.

The world stopped still. I felt like my legs couldn't support my weight. I had barely even made a step in stopping him. My mouth was gaping open. _No,_ I thought. _He-he didn't. He couldn't have just-_

Lia didn't respond. She was either skeptical or angry. Or maybe even both. She only looked at Jamie with a blank expression on her face.

"Jamie," she began, slowly and carefully. "You know I've told you many times that I-"

"But it's true! Why can't you see that?" he yelled, slipping away from her grasp. "Why can't you just _believe _me when I say that he's real?"

Lia took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "Jamie, I've told you many times. It has a lot to do with my past. It's just-"

"Hard to explain. I know. You've told me. But-but _please_, just _try _to believe. Just for a split second! It will work! I promise! He's standing right there, right next to you!" he implied, pointing in my direction.

Lia shakily took a deep breath, standing up. "I don't want to go through this again. I'm going to go make dinner."

"Jamie, stop!" I begged of him, but he only ignored me. He couldn't see it. He wouldn't seem to understand that she wasn't ready. Not yet.

Lia turned around, making her way to the door. Jamie gave me one look. I immediately recognized what he was going to do. But that would only make it worse. Why wouldn't he listen?

"What about your window conversations?" he blurted, standing up straight, swallowing, nervous.

Lia stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't move. She didn't speak. She was just a statue, standing, wheels turning in her head. I could see the emotion thicken.

"He's the one that's been talking to you all this time, can't you see?" Jamie continued. "Why do you think you can't see him? Why do you think the only way you two communicate is through a window covered in _ice_?" Jamie continued on, coming up with every explanation he could.

"Jamie, stop-" Lia whispered.

"I know that you don't want to believe because of what happened to your parents and I'm so sorry. But that doesn't mean that Jack doesn't exist, or the Guardians for that matter! I couldn't have made that entire story up by myself. I know I'm a creative person and everything, but I wouldn't lie to you about something like that."

"Jamie-" she said, slightly louder.

"Jack really cares about you. He's here, right now, looking at you and me. He _exists_ Lia. You just have to believe that he's real. That's what their fundamental idea is: belief! And-"

"Please, don't-"

"… if you just let yourself see him, just once, just imagine what could happen! Just imagine the possibilities! The wonder! The magic! Everything, just please, Lia, belie-"

"_Stop!_" Lia exclaimed, whipping around, gasping for air as if out of breath. She put her head in her hands, trying to process everything. The barrier that had been between her and I was only going to grow even wider now that it had all been laid down. The cards had been placed down, but there wasn't a match.

I took a few steps backwards. It was done. Over. Nothing could encompass what had just been revealed.

"I can't…" Lia croaked, trying to fight back the tears that were forming at the edge of her eyes. "I just… I just can't…"

I wanted to do something, _anything_. But there was nothing I _could _do. I fell to my knees. I suddenly hated everything. I hated being a Guardian. I hated having to be believed in in order to be seen. I hated the idea that what Lia and I had built up over time was now lost and gone forever. I hated it all.

And while I sat there, Lia made her way out of the room as if never to be seen again.

Jamie looked at me, wide-eyed. He had only just begun to realize what he had done. He tried a few times to speak, but he failed. He continued to shiver as the wind picked up from outside.

"Come here," I quietly ordered him. Jamie was destroyed. I could see that. But I didn't want that light he always held within him to evaporate because of this.

I embraced him in my arms and held him close, putting the staff down on the ground while doing so. "It's okay," I told him as he sobbed against me. "It's okay."

"I ruined it, didn't I?"

I didn't say anything. Saying nothing was better than telling him the truth. I only sighed.

We were silent for a few moments. We had nothing to say. Our embrace was enough to comfort one another.

He suddenly stepped back, placing his hands on my shoulders, looking at me square in the eyes. "You need to go after her," he commanded.

I was speechless. I couldn't go to her after _that. _It would only make things worse than they already were. "I can't. She's made her choice," I began to explain.

"How do you know if you never even try?" he asked, lifting up my chin.

I considered it. Maybe… Maybe I could just try, one last time. Maybe there was still hope, especially now that she had heard the truth. Could the possibility still be there? Could everything we had shared still be linked through that solitary window?

"Go," Jamie ordered. "Go, now! Before it's too late!"

I stood back and smiled. I had to remain hopeful. It was the only thing I had left. I picked up my staff and ran to the window, looking up at the sky. The moon was only beginning to shine. _Please, help me, _I begged to the Man in the Moon.

I turned around and gave Jamie one last look of appreciation. How could he be so amazing? He was the oracle in my life.

"Wish me luck!" I said, opening my arms and letting the breeze wrap itself around me, carrying me back to the last opportunity I had. _Maybe… just maybe…_


End file.
